Description and Brand Names

US Brand Name

Bicnu

Descriptions

Carmustine injection is used alone or together with other medicines to treat certain type of brain tumors (e.g., glioblastoma, brainstem glioma, medulloblastoma, astrocytoma, ependymoma, and metastatic brain tumors), cancer of the lymph system (e.g., Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma), and a certain type of cancer in the bone marrow (e.g., multiple myeloma). It may also be used to treat other kinds of cancer, as determined by your doctor.

Carmustine belongs to the group of alkylating agents. It interferes with the growth of cancer cells, which are eventually destroyed. Since the growth of normal body cells may also be affected by carmustine, other effects may occur. Some of these may be serious and must be reported to your doctor. Other effects (e.g., hair loss), may not be serious but may cause concern. Some effects may not occur for months or years after the medicine is used.

Before you begin treatment with carmustine, you and your doctor should talk about the benefits this medicine will do as well as the risks.

This medicine is to be administered only by or under the immediate supervision of your doctor.

Once a medicine has been approved for marketing for a certain use, experience may show that it is also useful for other medical problems. Although these uses are not included in product labeling, carmustine injection is used in certain patients with the following conditions:

Cancer of the colon and rectum.

Cancer of the stomach.

Malignant melanoma (a type of skin cancer).

Mycosis fungoides (tumors on the skin).

Waldenström's macroglobulinemia (a certain type of cancer of the blood).